1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a semiconductor component comprising a semiconductor substrate composed of silicon carbide and comprising separate electrodes applied thereto.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such a semiconductor component based on silicon carbide is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,254,280, for example. The semiconductor component disclosed therein is constructed as a junction field effect transistor (Junction FET). A source electrode, a gate electrode and a drain electrode are situated on the semiconductor substrate. The current channel between the source and drain electrodes is formed through the semiconductor substrate. Beneath the gate electrode, the silicon carbide exhibits a vertical p-n-p junction as a result of doping. The conductivity of the current channel is controllable by the application of a gate voltage.
Generally, silicon carbide is suitable for switching and for controlling high currents and high voltages on account of the comparatively high band gap of approximately 3 eV. The present-day technical application concepts are based on the principle of a MOSFET, a JFET or a bipolar transistor. The realization of such components necessitates n- and p-conducting regions produced by corresponding doping of the silicon carbide.